Small Talk with Colleagues

1Warm-Up Questions

1. What do you talk about with colleagues at coffee time?
2. Is small talk easy or difficult for you?
3. What topics are good for small talk?
4. What topics are not good at work?

2Vocabulary Preparation

Match the words to their definitions

Fun Vocabulary Game – “Let's Chat”

Choose the correct term:

1. Friendly talk about easy things is (small talk / a topic).
2. A short rest with coffee is a (coffee break / hobby).
3. Saturday and Sunday are the (weekend / weather).
4. Playing guitar is a (hobby / break room).
5. It is (polite / topic) to say please and thank you.
6. People often meet in the (break room / weekend) for a chat.

Coffee and a Chat

At 10:30 Ben goes to the break room for a coffee break. His colleague Julia is there. Ben starts some small talk and says, "Nice weather today, isn't it?" Julia smiles and says yes. Then she asks about his weekend. Ben visited his parents and they cooked together.

Next they talk about hobbies. Julia plays tennis and Ben likes photography. They find a new topic: a photo trip to the mountains. Both people ask questions and listen. This is polite and it makes the talk easy and friendly.

Small talk is useful at work. It helps colleagues to know each other better and the team feels good. But people must be careful. Some topics are private, for example money or problems at home. After ten minutes, Ben and Julia say goodbye and go back to their desks with a smile.

4Grammar Practice

A. Past Simple

Write the verb in the past simple:

1. Ben ___ (visit) his parents at the weekend.
2. They ___ (cook) a big dinner.
3. Julia ___ (play) tennis on Saturday.
4. I ___ (go) to the break room.
5. We ___ (talk) about the weather.

B. Question Words

Write what, where, who, when or why:

1. ___ do you do at the weekend?
2. ___ is your favourite hobby?
3. ___ do you live?
4. ___ is your team leader?
5. ___ do you like your job?

5Creative Task – “Small Talk Role Play”

Roles

1. Colleague A: Starts a friendly chat in the break room with a question.
2. Colleague B: Answers and asks a question back.
3. New Employee: Is shy and needs help to join the talk.
4. Observer: Listens and writes down five polite phrases.

Instructions

Each student prepares a 2-3 minute talk or role play.

1. Talk with your partners and agree on a good plan.

Use at least 5 vocabulary words from the worksheet.

1. Try to keep the small talk going for two minutes.
2. At the end, tell the group what you decided and why.